Type 2 diabetes is a serious and prevalent disease. This form of diabetes may involve insulin resistance and impaired insulin release. Approximately 25.8 million people in the United States alone suffer from diabetes, whereby type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90-95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases. From 1980 to 2008 the number of Americans with diabetes has more than tripled. Diabetes is also increasingly prevalent elsewhere, such as in certain Asian countries whose populations have experienced a dramatic increase in the disease. For example, in India and China, where rapid lifestyle and economic changes have led to a more sedentary lifestyle and poorer diet among the overall population, diabetes is becoming a major health concern. In addition, more than a third of adults at least 20 years old have pre-diabetes, which is a significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Other diseases and indications, such as glucose intolerance and metabolic syndrome may also be associated with impaired insulin release.
There remains a need for new and improved therapies that enhance insulin secretion and/or promote insulin release into the blood stream in individuals who have a reduced or impaired ability to secrete insulin and/or release insulin into the blood stream.